Former premature baby gives birth to own preemie nearly 32 years later

Grace Duncan looks like her daddy, but the baby girl's first several miraculous months echo her mom's early life.

Grace was born prematurely at 25 weeks and six days on April 20, 2012, at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville to parents Curt and Mindy Duncan of Geneva. She tipped the scales at 2 pounds, and stretched out to 13.5 inches.

Nearly 32 years earlier, Mindy was born prematurely at 25 weeks on May 13, 1980, at Norton's Children's Hospital in Louisville. She weighed 1 pound, 14 3/4 ounces and was 13 inches long.

The Duncans received an early Thanksgiving blessing last year when they learned Mindy was pregnant a day before the holiday. They planned to keep it a surprise until Christmas, but that didn't pan out.

"I cannot hold these things in," Mindy confessed. "I did good; I think I kept it a secret for a week."

Knowing her own history as a preemie, Mindy was keenly aware when she reached the milestone of 25 weeks in her pregnancy in April. At church that Sunday, she told her mother, Kaye Hazelwood, that she had beaten her record.

"The very next day I went into the hospital and — tada — six days later," Mindy said, gesturing to baby Grace.

Until she started having labor pains, Mindy said her pregnancy had been normal.

"We had been told up until that point, there's no correlation, no risk of me having her early or anything," Mindy said. "Then it was like déjà vu."

Curt said that aside from his wife, he had never known of any baby delivered so prematurely. The early weeks after Grace's birth were full of a lot of uncertainty and fear for him.

Hazelwood said she couldn't believe it was happening again.

"It was scary," she said. "Even though it was 32 years later, I knew what I had gone through to have her and I thought it was going to be a long haul."

Mindy had to undergo two surgeries when she was baby, the first was to close the Patent ductus arteriosus valve and the second due to a complication from the first. Mindy still has a heart murmur, though it's never given her problems.

After Grace's two-week stay at Deaconess, doctors determined that the baby's PDA valve was also not closing. She was flown by medical helicopter to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis on May 4 to undergo surgery.

Fortunately for Grace, the doctors at Riley performed heart echoes on her and nixed the surgery. Her heart problem resolved itself and she never needed surgery.

Little Grace had also been losing weight before her arrival in Indianapolis, Curt said. Soon though, the little girl was steadily gaining weight.

She was released from the hospital on July 25, three days before she was due to arrive in the world.

Thought too small for store-bought clothes when she was born, Grace was kept in style with handmade dresses stitched by family friend Connie Saalwaechter, including a camouflage with orange trim. Grace's "itty-bitty" diapers, smaller than an adult's palm, were 3.5 inches wide and 4.25 inches in length. She's up to a size 3 now.

Hazelwood kept a journal documenting Mindy's early life. The yellowed pages, bound together by a rubber band, got a thorough reading from Mindy and Curt once Grace was born. Taking a leaf out of her mother's book, Mindy also journaled Grace's progress. The two journals, written 32 years apart, made useful comparison guides.

"She was ahead of me in everything," Mindy said of her daughter.

The doctors told the Duncans that babies born at 25 weeks had a 75 percent chance of survival, while babies born just a week later had 100 percent chance. Being born a full six days later in term, not to mention more than three decades later with many modern medical advancements, little Grace fared better than Mindy at the same age.

The Duncans took Grace back to Indianapolis for a checkup in October. Doctors said she was on the right developmental track,

At her tiniest, little Grace weighed in at 1 pound, 11 ounces after birth, Curt said. At 7 months old, the little girl tipped the scales at 12 pounds, 8 ounces and was recently measured at nearly 2 feet.

Grace is a happy baby, prone to smiling. The tiny tot also likes to take in her whole surroundings.

"She does not like to be where she cannot see what's going on," Mindy said. "She's very nosy."

Grace was nonchalant as she and Mindy sat for a photo recently to accompany The Gleaner's story, just like her mother for a similar feature run in the paper on Christmas 1980. Though she's only 8 months old, this isn't Grace's first star turn.

The tot's picture was included in Riley Hospital for Children's brochure. Mother and daughter were also featured in a DVD given to parents in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Ronald McDonald House was a godsend for the Duncans during Grace's stay in the NICU. Upon arrival, Mindy initially stayed in hotels near the hospital. Rooming in hotels wasn't cheap, so she was relieved when Ronald McDonald House informed her a room was available. It was like a new home for Mindy.

"I was up there for the majority of the time by myself, but Ronald McDonald House was right across the street (from the hospital) and I would just walk every day," she said.

Curt, who is a CSX Railroad conductor, would board a train in Evansville and get off in Indianapolis where Mindy picked him up to visit with Grace for a few hours at a time.

While Grace was hospitalized, Mindy befriended the nurses and other new mothers. One of Grace's fellow NICU infants, Blake Hargis, was also a Henderson County baby born prematurely at Deaconess, so Mindy said it was nice to see a few familiar faces in the hall.

Family and friends back home were extremely supportive during the Indianapolis stay, she said.

The Duncans' place of worship, Trinity Lutheran Church in Henderson, took care of Mindy's lodging fee and paid for her food. Curt's sister, Jessica Duncan, and Mindy's friend, Joni Richmond, also made bracelets that say "God's Grace," which were sold throughout Henderson, raising about $1,000.

"We were fortunate enough that we had that money, because there are lots of families up there that don't," Mindy said.

Grace is the Duncan's first baby, but there could be more tiny diapers in their future. Doctors have ensured the Duncans there is a procedure that can be done when Mindy becomes pregnant to help ensure a full-term birth.

"We'll see," she said. "At least if we don't, we know what to expect."

The new parents are excited to share Christmas with their daughter.

"I really had to make myself not go overboard," Mindy said with a laugh.

Among the presents awaiting little Grace is a pink princess pony, which her mom said will go well with her Cinderalla-themed nursery. She's a little young to ride it now, but like every other milestone in her life, she'll get there eventually.